All Things Mum Related

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

1. A paintbrush and a bucket filled with water and painting a fence/pavement will keep your child entertained for ages.

2. An empty box and pens make a great activity. Michael recently played for over an hour with a big box and some pens. He had so much imagination and played happily. It was lovely to see!

3. Put stickers in your child's shoes to teach them left and right.

4. Glue the bottom of bath toys with a hot glue gun to stop them going mouldy and horrible inside.

5. Limit soap by tying a elastic band around the pump-Michael is a nightmare for using too much soap and mucking about in the bathroom so this is one of my favourite hacks!

6. If your child vomits on the carpet, cover it with baking soda and this will dry it up. After a couple of minutes it will be much easier to clean up.

7. Use puffy paint to create grips on babies/toddlers socks.

8. Try cartoon underwear when potty training. If your child picks their underwear of their favourite character, they are more likely to feel happy about wearing it.

9. Want your child to tidy their toys? Do a Mary Poppins and make it a game. We like to put a timer on and see if we can finish by the time the time is up.

10. When out for the day, write your number on your child's arm so if they are lost then you can be contacted quickly. On this note, we have made sure Michael can say his full name, where he is from and both mine and my partner's name.

11. Stick a hook on the back of a highchair to hang bibs so they are always on hand.

12. Pop a cupcake case on a ice lolly stick to stop it dripping everywhere.

13. Wash socks together in a laundry bag to minimising the socks that always seem to disappear!

14. Keep track on your child's antibiotics doses by drawing a tick list on the side of the bottle.

15. To cut your child's nails without stress, wait until they have been asleep for half an hour and do it then.

16. Peel the negative space of a sticker sheet and it is much easier to take the stickers off the page.

17. Lift the sides of a juice carton to make it easier for your child to hold.

18. At the beach take a bottle of talc along with you, it will make the sand brush straight off.

19. If your child needs to take a tablet, crush it up and add a little sugar. Makes it easy to get your child to take it.

20. To minimise tantrums in a shop for a toy, suggest they take a picture to send to Santa. Your child is happy, the toy has stayed on the shelf and you have pictures of gift ideas.

Friday, 2 June 2017

Last month I did my first blog post on a month's favourite products and it was one of my most popular blog posts so I decided to write one every month. There are a range of products for myself and for my 3 year old son.

1. Black Sandals-Peococks (£16).

The weather has been absolutely beautiful in London recently and I badly needed a new pair of sandals. We only have a few places in my local town centre that sells shoes and Peococks was one of these. I found these sandals and fell in love. They have beautiful detail on them and a little heel making them super comfy! I will be wearing them all summer.

2. The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

I love having a good book to read in the sun while Michael plays and after reading some reviews I reserved The Third Wife from the library. It was a very interesting and believable story with compelling characters. I read it in a short while. It was the first of Lisa Jewell's books I have read so I will be picking up some of her other books to see what they are like.

I have watched Pretty Little Liars from the start and love it. The show follows the lives of four girls who have been taunted by a mysterious A and later the ultimate AD. The show is on its last series(sob!) and I am still hooked with so many questions-who is AD?! The characters are compelling to watch and I am a massive fan of Hanna and Calab. You can watch the series from the start over on Netflix.

4.Fibre One Chocolate Fudge Brownies

I have had my eye on these for a while and recently bought a pack while they were half price at Asda. They are baked naturally high in fibre and low in fat and are a 90 calorie snack. I am trying to diet so they are my little bit of a sweet without high calories. They taste pretty good, so much so I bought 3 packs while they were still on offer.

5. Simple Facial Scrub

If you read my blog post on the Decleor Spa, you would know that exfoliating is really important for the skin. This facial scrub with multi vitamins exfoliates the skin removing all the dead skin cells and leaves your skin looking brighter and more even. It is great for sensitive skin such as mine and is a must in my skin care routine.

6. Mint and Dead Sea Salt Face Mask

As part of my skin care routine I regularly like to apply a face treatment or mask. If you will follow me on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/hannahscudder091/ You would have seen I was recently sent a big box of products from Essentials AA Skincare. One of the products was this cleansing face mask. Made with essentials oils, it works to draw out impurities, moisturise and tone the skin. It leaves your skin feeling really cleansed, soft and smelling great. I have been applying it once a week and would really recommend it. I have sensitive skin and am a little weary of some face masks but this one is great. It is especially great if you are prone to spots and acne.

Home Bargains sell a great range of candles for only 59p and they are just as good as more expensive ranges. The scents of candles are changed according to season and I love the more summer scents such as this one. They smell great, burn for ages and are great value.

Michael:

8. Nivea Sun Lotion for Kids

With the warmer weather, comes the essential need of sun lotion. Michael is a very fair child and we are always outside so the need for good sun lotion is a must. This sun lotion is especially formulated for children's delicate skin and has both a high SPF factor and UVA number so is highly effective as sun protection. It is easy to apply and water resistant so great when you are spending time at the beach or splash parks. I know there are cheaper sun lotions but this one has always worked well for us and gives me peace of mind when out in the sun with Michael so I will be continuing to buy this sun lotion.

9. Orchards Shopping List Game

Since turning 3 Michael is a big fan of games. He loves Buckaroo, Pop up Pirate and the game ranges from Orchards. One of his favourite games in the Shopping List Game. Suitable from 3+, the aim of this game is to taking turns turning over one of the cards and find the items on your shopping list. The first one to find all their items wins. It develops matching and memory skills, taking turns and creating discussion. Michael also now likes to play a version in the supermarket where I will give him a list of items he is responsible for finding which is great at keeping him happy and entertained during the weekly shop. I have recently bought him Pig in Pants from Orchards range for his birthday and I am hoping he loves that as much as he has the Shopping List game.

https://www.orchardtoys.com/buy/shopping-list_4.htm?sid=4128769

10. Read with Biff, Chip and Kipper Collection: Levels 1-3 - 33 Books

There is one thing Michael asks for that I always struggle to say no to and that is more books. As a reader myself I have always encouraged Michael to enjoy reading and a bedtime story has always been a part of his bedtime routine. I love to see a child develop their imagination and to enjoy a story. I read these books as a child and now Michael is getting older and starting to learn his phonics I thought it would be great to buy these for him. Each book is carefully levelled for a young reader and are great for starting to practising skills they will be learning at school, such as phonics, common words and everyday language. The Book People is a fantastic online book store which sells books incredibly cheaply. The collection of 33 books is currently selling at £17.99 which I think is a amazing deal! The Book People also regularly do discount codes and sales so you could buy the books at a even further discount.